Musical-instrument tone amplifier



Oct. 9 1923.

J- FACHECO MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TONE AMPLIFIER Filed Feb. 20. 1922 I O O O 0 v O O O O O O O y 3 O O o o O O 9 4 o o o A w C O. L o 9 0 O 4 fl oAw o 0 O O 1 Kr o .aw o 1 o so F 3 o o o Patented Oct. 9, 19 23..

UNITED STATES 4 1,469,948 PATENT OFFICE. I

JOSEPH PACHECO, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MUSICAL-INSTRUMENT TONE AMPLIFIER.

Application filed February 20, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH PACHE'CO, a citizen of the Republic of Brazil, residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Im )rovements in Musical-Instrument Tone 1 mplifiers, of which the following is a clear, full, concise, and exact description.

-My present invention relates to amplifiers, and more particularly to an improved tone amplifier for use in combinationwith string musical instruments such as banjos, mando-- lins, violins and string instruments of a like nature. To simplify and clearly define my invention I have limited the showing of same to a banjo.

Heretofore tone amplifiers have been of the auxiliary type, that is, an attachment usually adapted to be attached to the underneath side of the instrument under the vibratory head. It will be apparent in this method of attachment that the amplifier so attached makes the instrument cumbersome in operation and easily broken by coming in contact suddenly with foreign substances. In my present invention I have obviated these objectionable features by constructing an amplifier head integral with the banjo and in the form of a false head of metal in such a manner that the entire head of the banjo is covered, thereby increasing and amplifying the tone. This is very desirable especially in a jazz orchestra where the string instruments such as banjos are of a much lighter tone naturally than some of V the other instruments.

The principal object of my invention therefore, is an improved tone amplifier for string instruments.

Anothenobject is an improved means for producing the largest amount of tone amplification area in respect to the area of the banjo head.

Other objects and novel features of the construction and arrangement of parts will appear as the description of the invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a tenor banjo showing the perforated secondary head composing the amplifier heretofore referred to;

Fig. 2 is a typical cross section taken on Serial No. 537,710.

the line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing the construction of the amplifier and its relation to the rest of the banjo head'and body proper.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates the body proper of a banjo which is usually composed of a cylindrical hoop into which is'fitted a neck 11, one end of which is shouldered at 12 and has a greatly reduced portion 13 extending all the way through the body 10 andheld in place by a screw end 1 1 which also serves as the rear anchoragefor the strings on the oppositeside. The neck is further held in place by means of a wood screw 15 passing through a metal attachment 16 which is securely attached to the body member 10. In all these essentials my invention is the same as any banjo the construction of which is an old and established art. The departure from the usual banjo construction occurs in the uppermost portion of the body member 10. 17 designates the amplifier as a unit. It is composed of a disc like bottom 18 having located therein, at any desired positions, a series of openings 19. A rim 20 is formed on the outer circumference of member 17 and projects a little way below said bottom 18, and a shoulder 21 is formed on the top of member 10 and is adapted to receive said rim 20 thereby firmly seating and holding member 17 on member 10 by means of the usual clamp members 27 and nuts 27'. At 22 I have extended the rim 20 in an upward direction with respect to the disc 18, and at the extreme top I have curved the edge 23 over in an inward direction to provide a smooth seat over which to stretch the sheepskin head 24. The head 24 is further folded over a wire hoop 25 in the usual manner and a wide fiat hoop 26 is pressed down over same and held in tension by the usual clamps 27 and clamp nuts 27 thereby providing a taut drum head through which sound is transmitted and magnified from the strings by means of a bridge placed under the strings and resting on the sheepskin head.

In the operation of my invention it will bereadily apparent from an inspection of Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawing, that, in the stretching of the sheepskin head over member 17, and tightly drawing down the edges, I have thereby formed a hollow metallic chamber 28 which has for its back a metallic drum likev soundin board 18 against which all sound is pro ected. The

result of such a construction with respect to sound is to produce a sharp staccato note thereby making the instrument audible at a much greater distance when accompanied by other instruments, as in a jazz band or orchestra.

It will be apparent from the above description that I have designed a musical instrument tone amplifier that is extremely compact, simple and efficient in construc tion and operation, and while I have necessarily shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention somewhat in detail, it is understood that I may vary the size, shape and general arrangement of parts comprising my invent on within wide lim ts without departing" from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, is:

1. A banjo comprising a hoop, a metallic sounding board mounted on one end of said hoop and provided with a plurality of perforations in its surface, an annular rim formed integral with said metallic sounding board and extemlinc outwardly therefrom, a head mounted on the open end of the annular rim and having its surface lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the metallic sounding board, said head, rim, and metallic sounding board constituting a closed amplifying chamber, and means mounted on said hoop tor stretching the head tightly over the open end of the rim. 7

In an improied musical instrument, the combination with a hoop ot an amplifying chamber eonuirlsed ot a perforated metallic diaphragm. a head spaced apart from, and lying: parallel to, said diaphragm, means formed integral with the metallic diaphrausn and over the rim of which the head stretched, said amplifying chamber being: mounted on, and associated with. the hoop.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 15th day of Februarv. 19532,

JOSEPH PAGHECO 

